The Importance of Vitamin D

Vitamin D doesn’t just build strong bones. It has many roles in your body.

Every cell in your body has its own DNA tracker that tells the cell how to respond to anything that might affect it. The activity of the tracker, a very important job in the body, is triggered by vitamin D.

This is why Vitamin D is important in many of the functions in your body, and affects a great number of various diseases and health conditions, including heart disease.

Vitamin D production in your body through sunlight exposure can affect these physiological systems that also help fight heart disease:

• increase in your body’s natural anti-inflammatory properties
• suppress vascular calcification
• inhibit of vascular smooth muscle growth

Depending on where you live, what time of the year it is, and your skin color—you may be among the many Americans who aren’t getting enough of this essential nutrient.

Scientists have proven through multiple research studies that if you optimize your vitamin D levels it can help maintain a healthy heart:

• Researchers have found that people with the lowest average vitamin D levels had a 124% bigger risk of dying from all causes and a 378% greater risk of dying from a heart problem.
• A study in Finland showed that when compared with the participants with the highest vitamin D, those with the lowest levels had a 25 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease or stroke. When only stroke was looked at, the lowest levels had twice the risk as those with the highest.
• When women take vitamin D supplements, they lower their risk of death from heart disease by one-third.

Being Vitamin D deficient leads to increased risks for heart disease – risks that could be avoided simply by optimizing vitamin D. If you can’t get enough Vitamin D in your diet or your doctor is telling you that you are low or deficient in Vitamin D, you may want to consider a natural supplement.

Vitamin-D3 is clinically proven to be the most potent form of vitamin D. You can take a vitamin D3 supplement in combination with your multi-vitamin or nutrition foundation program.

Learning About Our Brand..

Two common questions that I am asked are:

1) How is Shaklee different from other brands?

2) What is the history of Shaklee - the company?

Today I would like to share information to help answer those questions. The second question is answered in the link at the end of this post and is taken from a long-time member of the Shaklee field (a distributor familiar with the origins of the company).

But first, the Shaklee difference.

When I was first introduced to the company, I remember hearing that the science and research that this brand has always been committed to is a major factor that sets this company apart. And the quality of the products is so good that you EXPECT them to work - to give you the results that you seek.

That level of quality and integrity and science extends across all products of the brand - from anti-aging skin care to personal care products and green home cleaning products. The standards that are set have always been very high and distinguishes the brand in the market.

Products are not brought to market unless they can be proven to be effective and also scientifically proven to be beneficial. There has never been a product of the month or product of the year simply because it is popular at the time. Years of research and testing go into a product before it is released. This is, at times, to the frustration of all of us in the field who are anxious for a product like the recently new Vitamin D3 that distributors had requested for the past few years.

It's very interesting to attend a company event and talk with Shaklee scientists. They are great at explaining scientific information in ways that non-medical people like myself can understand. You learn about things like the unique delivery systems in the nutrition products - there are 4 delivery systems in Vitalizer alone - so that the nutrients break down in the part of the body where they can be absorbed best and work best.

When a new product is finally announced, there is a great deal of documentation that supports the science behind it. In a product manual there can be hundreds of pages of specifications to make sure the detailed instructions of how to make and test that product are always met. There are extensive quality checks on all materials before they are accepted from vendors and over 600 inspection tests of raw materials before they used to make products.

The manufacturing and processing controls exceed standards used by other companies and include rigorous testing throughout the development of products. Post-production testing ensures products are potent and fresh. The commitment to quality is evidenced by the 100% money-back guarantee that has been offered on all products since the company started.

After using the products for years, I can testify that the science, research, and quality that attracted me to this company in the first place keeps me a loyal user today. When you find something that WORKS, you stick with it!

We don't like to compare ourselves to other brands. Partly because of our philosophy of doing business by The Golden Rule which for us means not putting down another brand, and also because there aren't many brands that can be compared. Natural nutrition products cannot be compared to synthetic vitamins and supplements. And you can't compare a brand that does extensive scientific studies and testing of raw ingredients and finished products to companies that do not.

To me what matters a great deal is that the products WORK - they give me the results I want in building better health. I was told from the first day I was introduced to the brand that if the products don't work, you get your money back. There's no risk involved, only the benefits you can get when the products start working for you. This has been true for me and it's why I am a loyal user.

In a future post we will look at some unique stories about this brand.

Here is the link to the information about the history of the company: Shaklee History

Vitamin D3.. Will You Get Enough This Winter?

Here Comes the Sun..


It was a beautiful fall day here in central Pennsylvania today and we enjoyed the sun and some fall sights, and some others got a great sailing day! This year the fall foliage is not expected to be brilliant like we usually enjoy due to the hot, dry summer this year.


Soon we will not see nearly as much of the sun. The long winter months can be challenging to get through. Since we go days, or longer, without seeing the sun or getting outside long enough to get our vitamin D, many of us are looking for alternatives to make sure we are not deficient in this essential nutrient.

Why are you at risk for vitamin D insufficiency? There are several factors that influence the amount of vitamin D in your body each day. Vitamin D is formed in the body when your skin is exposed to sunlight, or it's consumed in vitamin D-rich foods. For many people it is difficult to get enough vitamin D from their daily diet.

Other critical factors that can create a greater need for vitamin D include increasing age, being overweight, lack of exercise, and low intake of fish and other vitamin D-rich foods in your diet. Even people who live in warm climates year round may not get enough vitamin D if their skin is not exposed due to sunscreen use.

Vitamin D is associated with heart health, immune function, bone health and not having enough has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers. A high-quality dietary supplement of vitamin D3, the most potent form of vitamin D found naturally in the human body, is an option you have to insure your body has enough on a daily basis to help give you the good health you desire.

Vitamin D and Pelvic Strength, Incontinence and Slimming

I read a question in regard to vitamin D and incontinence in a woman's magazine. It was stated that a research study at SUNY Upstate Medical University and the gynecology and urogynecology unit at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, both in Syracuse, NY, linked vitamin D intake to improved pelvic-muscle strength, which also helps incontinence. Another vitamin D benefit that would be beneficial to many people trying to lose weight is that it can help speed slimming. The article also stated that doctors are recommending daily servings of 1000 IU vitamin D to patients and that it only takes a week or so to build up adequate healing amounts of this nutrient in your body.

We have our own substantial team of highly regarded doctors and research scientists on staff at Shaklee. It took several years for our brand to develop and introduce a stand alone vitamin D3 supplement - that's not unusual, it's the Shaklee way to provide science, research, a proven need and high quality ingredients. We had between 800IU and 1000IU in the multi-vitamins and Vitalizer servings and many of us get even more when we take our calcium supplements or drink a Cinch Shake. Still, it was determined that the separate supplement is needed for people who need even more daily vitamin D3 or don't take those other products on a daily basis.

To learn more about pharmaceutical grade, high quality supplements, including the very affordable vitamin D3 ($7.95 for a 3 month supply) that are 100% satisfaction, money-back guaranteed, visit Vitamin D3.